In the last few years Kickstarter has drastically changed the way publishers in the RPG industry operate. Before Kickstarter companies had to rely on pre-sales, PDF sales, or outside investments in order to get a product into print. Then Kickstarter came around and hesitantly a few RPG companies tried it out with wild success. Luke Crane, from Kickstarter, said that the gaming industry was quickly gaining on the entertainment industry in terms of dollars per backers. And in 2012, Kickstarter was know for the Year of the Game. Kickstarter allowed the publisher to free up that personal risk of long term savings of funds to getting the product out quickly to fans by funding it with the money from those who wanted the product most. A lesson in supply and demand could not have been more amply demonstrated. And thus a new era arose in the gaming industry.

We’ve seen flops, and horror stories, successes, and even a few scams. All in all the majority of the projects are backed, funded and eventually fulfilled leaving publishers and fans sated. However, now it is hard to go a month without hearing about another kickstarter. At what point has kickstarter just taken over for a pre-order? Are there long term goals that get taken into consideration? Does it make a difference to the backer? Has Kickstarter become just another store front with a good deal? Blue light Green light special on aisle 9 URL Blah! Or is this the way of the future? Only time will truly tell.

Well here is one Kickstarter that is humbly asking for your help and support, not just as a pre-order but as leg up, to be an inside backer to something grander. Let me explain. Legendary Games is a fairly new company founded by Clark Peterson of Necromancer Games and now owned by Jason Nelson, professional RPG Writer since 2002. The company started off with a vision of being a select group of highly talented workers producing a product the fans would love. One where quality knew no bounds. So they set out to work, hiring the best of the best to write for them and create art. The PDFs of their creations were made but with no reserve funds the company could hardly grow into the print world.

Many RPG and Pathfinder fans miss an opportunity to use their products since they aren’t in the hands of gamers and aren’t on the book shelves. Earlier this year, Legendary Games hired Rachel Ventura as their Business Director. Her goal is to bring this company into another bracket of the industry. Her ties in the industry and marketing experience has allowed Legendary Games to open the door of negotiation with distributors to get their books into stores. However now they need the books.

So you see, backing this Kickstarter isn’t about just getting a book in the mail. It isn’t just a pre-order, but it is a chance to back a company at the growth level; at a crucial place in it’s timeline that will allow it to flourish and become so much more. So I urge you in the mist and sea of Kickstarter projects galore to take a hard look at this company and this project and consider backing it. Then in true KS fashion be sure to share it with your friends on facebook and twitter.